Mahia turned on a great day for rounds three and four of the Tairāwhiti men's interclub pennants last Sunday.
If the Tairāwhiti men’s interclub pennants was a murder mystery novel, it had an obvious solution ... the Butler did it.
Poverty Bay Golf Club board of directors chair Pat Butler preferred not to have his age divulged as he made his pennants debut in round three of the matchplay series at Mahia on Sunday.
Not just a debut, but a victorious one. Butler won both his matches for Poverty Bay (2) before heading off to the Bay of Islands for a deserved golfing holiday.
Respecting his wishes, the Gisborne Herald won’t print exactly how old he is, other than to say he’d be breaking par (just) if he was to shoot his age at his home track, and is most certainly the oldest debutant in pennants history.
After the battlefield smoke cleared at the end of another excellent pennants day on a sublime links course, Tolaga Bay (1) had the narrowest of leads heading into rounds 5 and 6.
The East Coast club were sitting on 27 points, just one ahead of Poverty Bay, with Poverty Bay (2) and Te Puia Hot Springs completing the top four on 22 apiece.
Defending champions Pātutahi Blue had dropped to fifth on 21, five points ahead of sixth-placed Pātutahi Jedi.
Tolaga Bay (1) picked up 15 out of a possible 16 points, thanks to a 7-1 win over KHG Electrinet Park (1) and 8-0 whitewash of Pātutahi Black.
Two of the team – Zane Boyle and Brad Reynolds – have 100% win records so far, while No 1 Bruce Yates bounced back from a “double L” in the opening two rounds on his home course with two victories. No 4 Tim Adamson has played his part with three wins and a half so far.
Reynolds was involved in two 18-hole duels. He put his tee shot to within gimme range on his 18th hole (the par-3 sixth) to beat in-form KHG Electrinet Park (1)’s Matt Henwood in the morning round.
Reynolds was 3-down with six holes to play against Pātutahi Black’s Reuben Mottart in the afternoon, only to win four holes on the trot and halve the last two for victory.
Mottart had the disadvantage of turning up to Mahia to discover his driver missing from his bag. It is suspected it escaped somewhere in the Whareratas.
Boyle has been one of the players of the series so far, but the High School Old Boys Premier rugby team member may be out of action for future Saturday rounds, as the Poverty Bay club rugby season starts after Easter.
The only other player with a four-win record is Poverty Bay’s Hayden Keast, who was untroubled in both his matches as his team eased past Park (2) 8-0 and Waikohu 6-2.
It was a day of debutant success for both Poverty Bay team. Craig Palmer had two wins at No 2 for Poverty Bay (2) while Hamish Evans, who replaced Poverty Bay’s Simon Jeune for the afternoon round, added two points to their tally.
With the absence of Auckland-based regulars David Solomann and son Glenn Solomann, Waikohu have brought in Mahia’s Peter Bremner. He proved unstoppable on this home track with 4 and 3 wins at No 1 over Pātutahi Jedis’ Dwayne Russell and Poverty Bay’s Dan Collier.
Another Mahia export, Wade Wesche, also had two wins at No 1 for Te Puia Hot Springs, who enjoyed a profitable day.
Butler was a standout, but arguably the star of the day was Tolaga Bay (2)’s B.J. Sidney, who knocked over 2025 player of the series Eddie Brown jnr (Pātutahi Blue) and Jason Devery (Te Puia Springs).
Pātutahi Blue teenager Marcus Gray blew away both his opponents – Will Yates (Tolaga Bay 2) and Peter Stewart (PB2) – on the 13th hole while others to enjoy two wins were Hukanui Brown (Pātutahi Blue), Ian Logan (Te Puia), Reece Witters (PB) and Tom Donovan (Te Puia).
Youngster Kymani Tamatea posted Tairāwhiti Development’s second individual win.
Ian Loffer had a win and a half for Park (1).
ROUND 3
Pātutahi Blue 6 Tolaga Bay (2) 2 (Pātutahi names first): Hukanui Brown def Wiremu Aupouri 2 and 1; Eddie Brown jnr lost to BJ Sidney 1-up; Marcus Gray def Will Yates 6 and 5; Watene Brown def Rongo Pomana 2 and 1.
Poverty Bay (2) 7 Pātutahi Black 1: Pete Anderson halved with Korban Harrison-Allen; Craig Palmer def Reef Pohatu 4 and 3; Peter Stewart def Dean Pohatu 5 and 4; Pat Butler def Reuben Mottart 1-up.
Te Puia Hot Springs 8 Tairāwhiti Development 0: Wade Wesche def Jordyn Haley 4 and 3; Jason Devery def Kymani Tamatea 4 and 3; Tom Donovan def Mikaera Aurupa 4 and 2; Ian Logan def Rua Ratima 7 and 5.
Tolaga Bay (1) 7 KHG Electrinet Park (1) 1: Bruce Yates def Craig Christophers 6 and 4; Zane Boyle def Bailey Matoe 4 and 3; Brad Reynolds def Matt Henwood 1-up; Ian Loffler halved with Tim Adamson.
Poverty Bay 8 KHG Electrinet Park (2) 0: Dan Collier def Selwyn Peneha 3 and 2; Hayden Keast def Anthony Pahina 3 and 2; Reece Witters def Reuben Maynard 2-up; Simon Jeune def John Collier jnr 5 and 4.
Waikohu 4 Pātutahi Jedi 4: Peter Bremner def Dwayne Russell 4 and 3; Percy Milner def Lyall Anania 2-up; Ethine Reeves lost to Jonny Priestley 5 and 4; Adrian Wyrill lost to Hamish Harris 2-down.
ROUND 4
Pātutahi Blue 4 Poverty Bay (2) 4: Hukanui Brown def Pete Anderson 2 and 1; Eddie Brown Jnr lost to Craig Palmer 5 and 3; Marcus Gray def Peter Stewart 6 and 5; Watene Brown lost to Pat Butler 3 and 2.
Te Puia Hot Springs 6 Tolaga Bay (2) 2: Wade Wesche def Wiremu Aupouri 2-up; Jason Devery lost to B.J. Sidney 1-down; Tom Donovan def Will Yates 2 and 1; Ian Logan def Rongo Pomana 3 and 1.
Tolaga Bay (1) 8 Pātutahi Black 0: Bruce Yates def Reef Pohatu 2 and 1; Zane Boyle def Dean Pohatu 4 and 3; Brad Reynolds def Reuben Mottart 1-up; Tim Adamson def Korban Harrison-Allen 4 and 3.
KHG Electrinet Park (2) 5 Tairāwhiti Development 3: Selwyn Peneha def Jordyn Haley 5 and 4; Reuben Maynard lost to Kymani Tamatea 4 and 3; John Collier jnr def Leighton Aupouri 5 and 3; Mike Bond and Mikaera Aurupa halved.
KHG Electrinet Park (1) 6 Pātutahi Jedi 2: Craig Christophers lost to Dwayne Russell 4 and 3; Bailey Matoe def Lyall Anania 3 and 2; Matt Henwood def Jonny Priestley 4 and 2; Ian Loffler def Hamish Harris 4 and 2.
Poverty Bay 6 Waikohu 2: Dan Collier lost to Peter Bremner 4 and 3; Hayden Keast def Percy Milner 4 and 3; Reece Witters def Ethine Reeves 1-up; Hamish Evans def Adrian Wyrill 4 and 3.
Overall points: Tolaga Bay (1) 27; Poverty Bay 26; Poverty Bay (2) 22; Te Puia Hot Springs 22; Pātutahi Blue 21; Pātutahi Jedi 16; KHG Electrinet Park (1) 15; Tolaga Bay (2) 14; Waikohu 9; Pātutahi Black 8; KHG Electrinet Park (2) 7; Tairāwhiti Development 5.